Yes, Virginia, Online Comments Still Have Value

Moreover, anonymous online commenters may enjoy a deeper sense of equal participation because they are not judged by their race, gender and other personal information that could potentially be deduced from a name.

Yet according to a study by Western Washington University journalism professor Carolyn Nielsen, members of the media themselves loathe online comments. In a survey of 583 journalists at daily newspapers in the United States, journalists’ contempt for online commenters appears widespread, originating in journalism school and reinforced throughout their careers via workplace culture.